"Sasuke is..fine..umm, he's off doing something for me." Naruto's blond brows were raised in question. "So, anyway, I needed to talk to you about going home and I knew I couldn't talk to you about it in front of Sasuke. I gave him some busy work.."

"We don't have time for this, we need to head to the next town before we're detected.."

"You mean you don't have time for this. Look...Hinata.. no one is after Sasuke, they are after you." Hinata's brows furrowed, "What are you getting at? I'm not going home, Naruto."

"You're a burden, Hinata, Sasuke just doesn't have the heart to tell you."

"A burden? Doesn't have the heart? Are we talking about the same Sasuke here, because I promise you he has said much much worse to me than that."

"He doesn't want to say it. Hinata. But honestly, think about it for a minute. Your adding pressure to this group when they have enough to worry about. Sasuke has told you by now that he's working under the table with me, for the good of the leaf. No one in Konoha knows about this project, it's top secret. Hiashi keeps sending people after you and jeopardizing the integrity of his mission. You're being a burden." Naruto explained coldly. "So just come home already and stop running from your problems. You're causing problems for everyone else."

Some people might be surprised at the cold way he was speaking to her, but not Hinata. She was used to it by now. It was one of the reasons she completely fell out of love with him to begin with. He even spoke so warmly and fondly to random people around him, people he barely even knew, and to the people he considered his friends. But, somewhere along the way he lost those same fond feelings toward her. Hinata was fairly certain Naruto would leave her to the wolves if given the opportunity.

"If I'm a burden, Sasuke would have told me by now. He told me I'm an asset to this team and you're wasting your time here. You have dealings with Sasuke, that doesn't mean you have to speak to me at all. Actually, I prefer you didn't, because there is nothing I need nor want to hear you say. "

"Hinata!" Naruto ran a hand through his crazy blond hair. "You infuriate me! You never listen!"

"I have listened and the answer is no."

"You're so selfish, you don't care if his mission is a success or not, do you? Even if it is for the good of the Leaf! You know your father is adamant about you coming home and you've seen that he's willing to use force."

"Then why don't you go home and convince him to get off my back if you're that concerned about Sasuke and this mission?"

"You know he wont listen! Not only that, but you are dangerously close to being labeled a rogue ninja!"

"And?"

"You'll be placed in the bingo book."

"And?"

"People will come after you!"

"They already are!"

"Tch." Naruto took a step back and groaned dramatically before calming himself and his tone. He leaned over so that he was nose to nose with her. "Hinata, go home." With that being said he walked off, roughly ramming his shoulder into hers as he passed by.

The group gathered in the woods and it didn't take long for Sasuke to join them, eager to head out. Hinata was quieter the usual and very compliant with orders. What Naruto had said was starting to weigh on her mind heavily. What if Sasuke just didn't want to tell her she was a burden? What he said made sense in a way, to her at least. She felt bad, so out of guilt she stayed quiet and out of the way.

"Karin, I wan't you on surveillance. I don't want anyone sneaking up on us."

"That'll be tough if dog face shows up again."

"Do your best. Suigetsu, you and Jugo stay on opposite sides of the group at all times, we need to keep our defenses evenly distributed." All of these preventive measures he was taking, so no one would sneak up on them, was because of her. Because people were after her. Sasuke was working harder to make sure she didn't get abducted again.

Why did she leave Konoha again?

Oh, that's right. For freedom purposes. Yet she was having to travel cautiously in fear of someone constantly tracking her. Was that freedom? A lot of people would've told her that if she wanted freedom she never should have became a ninja, but it wasn't Konoha she was running from it was her family. Right now her father was wasting the family fortune just to have her drug back to him. At what length would he go just to keep the Clan seat in his favor? Pathetic.

"Hinata?" She looked up from her thoughts and glanced around the group, "Huh? Yeah?"

"You okay there?" Karin asked and everyone was staring at her, all looking equally concerned. "You really zoned out there." Suigetsu added, "Something on your mind?" Jugo rested a large hand on her head and smiled, "You don't have anything to worry about, we wont let anything happen to you. Right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke turned his head to the side slightly, yet remained expressionless. "You're safe."

Her chest tightened and she felt as if she could honestly just breakdown and cry. "Guys..." Without really thinking about it, her feet moved on their own and she found herself hugging onto Sasuke's torso tightly with the side of her face against his chest, "I'm sorry..!"

"H-hinata?" Karin stood in shock, just like everyone else minus Suigetsu who had a habit of laughing when someone cried around him. "What the-?" Sasuke held his arms out, unsure of what to do, and stared down at her. "I don't know what to do.." Hinata whispered with a cracking voice.

Sasuke took a deep breath and rested his arms around her shoulders. "What do you mean? Talk to me.." He dropped his head down and rested his cheekbone against her forehead. "I don't know.."

It was a very emotional scene and onlookers, like Karin, were left flustered. "Oh get a room..!" Suigetsu whined. "Shut up and leave them alone, Suigetsu, Hinata is obviously upset! It's probably your fault!" Karin turned on him with intent to do bodily harm and Jugo was the only one left smiling out of understanding for her difficult situation. Apparently everyone else was too dense to see what he could see.